Search Strategies for Finding Ship Passenger Lists 1820-1940s

This article was updated on 22 December 2018.

Here are some suggestions for finding your immigrant ancestors on a ship passenger list (or manifest) for their arrival in the United States from 1820 to the 1940s (1950s for some ports).

Search Tips

• Clues in the Census: the 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930 US federal censuses have a column for year of arrival for immigrants. This can help narrow down the search. Be careful as census records may contain errors.
• Naturalization Records: Naturalization records created September 27, 1906 and later will usually give the name of the ship, port and date of arrival. Naturalization records before that usually do not give this information (although some might). You may sometimes find errors in these records.
• Be sure to try alternate spellings of names when searching online databases or other indexes.

Port by Port Search
If you're having difficulty finding your ancestor's passenger list you might try a more specific search at each port. If you don't know the arrival port or don't know where to start, you can find some ideas at: Tips for Determining Your Ancestor's Probable Port of Arrival

• Finding Passenger Lists and Immigration Records 1820-1940s is a basic research guide for finding passenger records, listed by the major ports and some of the smaller ports
• Ship Passenger Lists and Records on the Internet lists some Internet sources for transcribed passenger records and indexes

• New York Indexes and the Ellis Island Database...
  The largest port where immgrants arrived in the U.S. is New York. Most people with European immigrant ancestors will probably want to search New York arrivals first, unless they know their immigrant ancestor arrived elsewhere. Here are some tools and articles which may be helpful for finding New York passenger arrivals:
• New York Passenger Lists Research Guide
• Ellis Island Database: for New York arrivals 1892-1924
• Castle Garden Database indexes some NY arrivals from about 1830-1892
• Ellis Island? Castle Garden? Which One? And When? is an article about New York's immigrant processing centers
• Boston...
• Boston Passenger Lists Research Guide
• Baltimore...
• Baltimore Passenger Lists Research Guide
• Philadelphia...
• Philadelphia Passenger Lists Research Guide
• New Orleans...
  If your immigrant ancestor settled in St. Louis, Missouri or along the Mississippi river (especially prior to the Civil War), he or she may have landed at New Orleans and taken a riverboat up the Mississippi.
• New Orleans Passenger Lists Research Guide
• Smaller Ports, West Coast Ports and Border Crossing Records...
• US Ports of Arrival and their Available Passenger Lists 1820-1957 is a list of many United States ports with information about the available passenger records and indexes. Includes information about Canadian and Mexican border crossing records.

Indexes for Various Ethnic Groups: Germans to America, Italians to America, Irish Immigrants, etc.
Some ship passenger indexes have been created for various ethnic groups and these may be helpful as alternate resources if you can't find your immigrant ancestor in other indexes.

• The Germans to America (1850-1897), Italians to America (1855-1900), Russian Immigrants (1834-1897) and Irish Famine Immigrants (1846-1851) databases can be searched online at the National Archives website: Passenger Lists - Access to Archival Databases (AAD)
• For more details on these indexes and others see:
  
  • Germans to America, Irish Immigrants, Italians to America, Russians to America, and Dutch Immigrants in U. S. Ship Passenger Manifests
  • Armenian, Bohemian, Czech, Greek, Luxembourgish and Swedish Ship Passenger List Resources

Disclaimer: you might not find the person you're looking for in any of the indexes or records listed here; these are merely suggestions.

Germans, Russians and Italians to America Now Online from NARA

The U.S. National Archives (NARA) has added Germans to America (1850-1897), Russians to America (1834-1897) and Italians to America (1855-1900) to their Access to Archival Databases (AAD) series. These databases can be searched for free at:

Access to Archival Databases - National Archives

These 3 databases index records of more than 5 million immigrant passengers who arrived in the U.S. from Germany, Italy and the Russian Empire for the time frames listed above. Most of the arrivals are for the port of New York, but other ports such as Baltimore, Boston, New Orleans and Philadelphia may also be included. Coverage varies by series. Be aware there may be transcription errors and missing information in these databases.

For more online ship passenger lists see:

What Passenger Lists Are Online?

A Small Collection of Online Genealogy Records

Over the last few years my various websites have accumulated a messy pile of transcribed genealogy records :) Most of these are ship passenger lists, but there are one or two other records as well. Many of the names are German and Irish, but other nationalities are also included. Even though these transcriptions are scattered around the web in a seemingly haphazard way -- there really is a method behind all of it I think, or I thought there was at the time :) -- you can search all of them from one place. Right here:

Search Some Cool, Obscure, Weird Genealogy Records and Passenger Lists

You can search by name, surname, keyword or name of ship. You can also search by topic - for example typing in naturalization records will return a list of webpages with information about how to find naturalization records. Try typing in census records or death records, that sort of thing.

Here's a list of many of the transcribed records included in the search:

About 150 New Orleans passenger lists - most from the 1840s (2 from the 1850s)

Some Baltimore passenger lists (and lists of ships to Baltimore) - from the 1830s

14 New York passenger lists - from the period 1820-1867

List of Passenger Ships from Ireland to America 1732-1749 (a few have names of passengers)

Antelope and Welcome reconstructed passenger lists (of William Penn's Fleet)

23 Pennsylvania German Pioneers Passenger Lists - from the period 1736-1807

List of Palatines from Germany to England in 1709 (most went on to America)

Passenger Arrivals in the US in the 4th Quarter of 1819

Passengers to Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia in 1823

Assorted Passengers to Savannah, Georgia 1866-1867

Some German Passengers Missed by Germans to America

Arizona World War One Alien Registration Index (partial)

Assorted Putzig, West Prussia Genealogy Records 1660-1890

Assorted Zarnowitz, West Prussia Genealogy Records 1800s

Hegensdorfer Auswanderer 1824-1893 (Emigrants from Hegensdorf, Germany)

None of this is comprehensive or amazing or anything, but a few people have found their ancestors in these records, maybe you will too, or maybe you'll find some useful tips if you search by topic.

Online Naturalization Records Indexes - Recently Added

Links to the items listed below were recently added to: Online Searchable Naturalization Records and Indexes

Iowa
- Cerro Gordo County: Mason City Naturalization Index - Petitions and Declarations, 1942-1961
- Lee County: Keokuk - Index to Miscellaneous Records Pertaining to Naturalization, 1840-1888
- Union County: Creston Naturalization Index - Declarations and Petitions, 1930-1951
- Wapello County: Ottumwa Naturalization Index - Petitions and Declarations, 1916-1951

Kansas
Assorted Kansas Naturalization Indexes - includes:
- Fort Scott Naturalization Index to Petitions and Declarations, 1915-1967
- Kansas City Naturalization Records Index, 1948-1970
- Topeka: Index to Declarations of Intention ("first papers"), 1852-1942
- Topeka: Index to Overseas Naturalization Petitions, 1943-1954
- Topeka: Index to Naturalization Petitions, 1868-1984

Michigan
- 11 counties have been added to the Michigan State Archives naturalization indexes database (now has 32 total counties)

New York
- Clinton County Naturalization Records Index 1865-1906
- Essex County Naturalization Records Index 1836-1880
- Queens County Naturalization Records Index 1906-1957

Ohio
- Summit County (Akron), Ohio Naturalization Records Search (includes images)

Pennsylvania
- Centre County Naturalization Records 1802-1929 -- includes digitized images of the records
- Chester County Naturalization Records Index 1798-1935 (Updated: previously went to 1906)
- Pennsylvania now has its own separate webpage - see: Online Pennsylvania Naturalization Records and Indexes

Recently Added Online Passenger Lists and Records

Links to the items listed below have been added to the Directory of Online Ship Passenger Lists and Records

Boston and New England section
- Maine Passenger Lists Index 1820-1867 (coverage varies by port)
- Assorted Pilgrim and Great Migration Ship Lists 1602-1638

New York
- Andrea Doria - Genoa to New York, July 1956 - list of passengers for the Andrea Doria, which collided with the Stockholm on 25 July 1956 near Nantucket, Massachusetts

Australia
- Tasmania Passenger Lists - Index of Convicts Transported to Tasmania - 19th Century & Index to Departures 1817-1867

Brazil
- Memorial do Imigrante - Sao Paulo, Brazil (pre-1907 Brazil passenger arrivals) website is in Portuguese

Canada
- Quebec & Halifax Passenger Lists Indexing Project - currently indexes Quebec ports (including Montreal) from Nov. 1907-Oct. 1910 with some gaps; this is an ongoing project
- Port of New Westminster, British Columbia - Register of Chinese Immigration 1887-1908
- Canada Passenger Lists, 1865-1922 - can be searched by date, port and ship only - not searchable by name of passenger - time frame varies by port

Cuba
- Assorted Passenger Lists to and from Cuba

United Kingdom
- Passenger Lists Leaving the United Kingdom (UK) 1890-1960 -- presently available online for 1890-1919 (more years are being added) searches are free - full results require payment

Ancestry Adds Mexican Border Crossing Records 1903-1957

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, Ancestry has added a database of Mexican border crossing records (1903-1957) to their subscription-based U.S. genealogy records collection. This database contains more than 3.5 million entries and includes images from the National Archives microfilm of these records. Many of the later records include a photograph of the person.

See the Mexico Border Crossings section at US Ports of Arrival and their Available Passenger Lists 1820-1957

Canadian Border Crossing Records Now Online

Ancestry has added a database of Canadian border crossing records from 1895-1956 to their collection of online genealogy records. (Note that these records are not available prior to 1895.) Sometimes you may find that your immigrant ancestor arrived by ship at a Canadian port and then later crossed over from Canada into the USA at a land port - you might find their arrival details in these records. You can also find U.S. and Canadian citizens who crossed over the border. More than 100 land ports of entry are included in Ancestry's database.

For more details see the Canada Border Crossings section at U.S. Ports of Arrival and their Available Passenger Records

Hamburg Passenger Lists Now At Ancestry

Ancestry has recently added online images and a partial index to the Hamburg, Germany passenger departure records from 1850-1934 (except: 1 January--14 July 1853, which are missing, and the WWI years of 1915-1919). The years 1890-1913 have been indexed so far. These lists can be helpful if you have an immigrant ancestor who left from Hamburg because they usually give the place (town or city) of residence for the passengers.

For more information see: Hamburg Passenger Lists 1850-1934

New York Passenger Lists Online Database Updated: 1820-1957

Ancestry has updated their online New York ship passenger lists database. It now covers the years 1820-1957. The database includes a name index for the passengers as well as digitized images of the passenger lists from the National Archives microfilm. The Barge Office, Castle Garden and Ellis Island periods are included in the database. See: New York Passenger Lists Quick Guide 1820-1957 for a link to the database and basic NY ship passenger lists information.

For some information about finding passenger lists at other ports see: Finding Passenger Lists 1820-1940s - arrivals at US Ports

Ports, Immigrants, and Passenger Records

Whether they arrived by ship from Europe, Asia or somewhere else, or whether they came across the Canadian or Mexican borders, our immigrant ancestors usually came to the USA through a port of entry. Beginning in 1820 (and much later for the land border ports) their names were usually recorded on some kind of record for that port. These records are sometimes called "ship manifests" or "passenger lists" or "immigration records" or "alien arrivals" or something similar. Many of these records or copies of them have survived and they are kept at the National Archives (over the years some have been lost or destroyed). Quite a few of them have been microfilmed and some of these microfilms have been digitized and put online.

Here are the twelve most popular ports used by immigrants to the United States from 1820-1920 based on number of immigrant arrivals...

• New York, New York
• Boston, Massachusetts
• Baltimore, Maryland
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• New Orleans, Louisiana
• San Francisco, California
• Key West, Florida
• Portland-Falmouth, Maine
• Galveston, Texas
• Passamaquoddy, Maine
• New Bedford, Massachusetts
• Providence, Rhode Island

But there are many more ports where immigrants arrived.

Four years ago I made a webpage that listed all the ports I could find that have published immigrant arrival records. The page has been updated several times. I've been spending the last three days updating the webpage again - I added more ports and updated others - because the National Archives continues to publish more records of immigrant arrivals at ports. And more continue to go online.

You won't find every port here, but you will find a lot of them. They're arranged alphabetically by state. Included are links to lists of microfilm or research guides or finding aids or online records or whatever I could find to help you find your ancestor's name in the records of that port.

U.S. Immigration Ports and Their Available Records or Passenger Lists 1820-1957

If you aren't sure where your ancestor arrived, you might find this guide helpful: Tips for Determining Your Ancestor's Port of Arrival

New Orleans Ship Passenger Lists Database Updated

Ancestry's New Orleans passenger lists index has recently been updated to include the years 1820-1945. Previously it covered 1820-1850. The new database also includes digitized images of the passenger lists from National Archives microfilm publications M259 and T905. For more information see: New Orleans Passenger Lists, 1820-1945

For a fairly detailed guide to finding New Orleans passenger lists see: Finding New Orleans Passenger Lists

For information on finding passenger lists at other ports see: Ship Passenger Lists and Immigration Records

Recently Added Naturalization Records Indexes

The following links were recently added to: Online Searchable Naturalization Indexes ...

Alabama
- Jefferson County: Surname Index to Jefferson County, AL Naturalization Records 1887-1911 (includes Birmingham)

California
- Madera County Naturalization Records - has 20th Century (1907 and later) Declarations of Intent & Petitions for Citizenship (some gaps)

Colorado
- Douglas County: Index of Declaration of Intention for Citizenship 1871-1938
- La Plata County: Durango Naturalization Records Indexes

Nebraska
- Cedar County Naturalization Records

New Jersey
- Atlantic County Immigration Index - Mostly Declarations of Intention - includes digitized images

New York
- Eastern District Court of New York Naturalization Project 1865-1956 (work in progress/not complete) indexes naturalization records of Eastern District NY Courts including Kings (Brooklyn), Queens, Richmond (Staten Island), Nassau & Suffolk Counties.

North Dakota
- Name Index to North Dakota Naturalization Records for federal courts - U.S. District and U.S. Circuit Courts, District of North Dakota

South Dakota
- Name Index to Naturalization Records from Dakota Territory and South Dakota... most listings are for federal courts

Ellis Island? Castle Garden? Which One? And When?

This article was updated on 8 October 2020

From August 1855 to July 1924, millions of new arrivals to New York City went through an immigration processing center. The most famous New York immigration centers are Ellis Island and Castle Garden. The least famous is likely the Barge Office, which was used briefly just prior to the opening of Ellis Island in 1892, and again following a fire on Ellis Island in 1897. The Ellis Island fire broke out just after midnight on June 15, 1897, destroying the buildings there. After the fire, newly arriving immigrants were initially inspected on Manhattan piers, then the Barge Office was again put to use. In 1900, new buildings were completed on Ellis Island, and the immigration center was reopened there.

Here's a simple timeline for when New York's immigrant processing centers were operating:

• Prior to August 1855 .... No central processing center
• August 3, 1855 to April 18, 1890 .... Castle Garden
• April 19, 1890 to December 31, 1891 .... The Barge Office
• January 1, 1892 to June 14, 1897 .... Ellis Island
• June 15-20, 1897 .... Immigrants inspected on Manhattan piers
• June 21, 1897 to December 16, 1900 .... The Barge Office
• December 17, 1900 to July 1, 1924 .... Ellis Island

On July 1, 1924 a new law went into effect which stated that immigrants were to be inspected at US consular offices in the immigrant's home country before coming to the US. Ellis Island continued to be used as an alien detention center until November 1954. The first person to be processed at Ellis Island in 1892 was a 17-year-old Irish girl, Annie Moore. The last Ellis Island detainee was a Norwegian merchant seaman named Arne Peterssen.

The Barge Office was located on the southeastern tip of Manhattan. Castle Garden, now called Castle Clinton National Monument, was located on a small island just off the southwestern tip. Later landfill has attached the island to Manhattan. Castle Clinton National Monument serves as a visitor information center for New York's National Parks and Monuments. You can also purchase tickets there for ferry trips to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

The passenger ships to New York didn't actually land at Ellis Island -- they landed at Manhattan and the passengers were ferried over to the island for processing. Generally only steerage passengers went to Ellis Island for inspection. Most of the first and second class passengers were allowed to leave the ship soon after docking. All passengers, however, were (or should have been) listed on the ship manifest (or passenger list). However, from June 1897 to early 1903, New York passenger lists contain the names of steerage passengers only (with some exceptions). Most of the lists for first and second class (cabin class) passengers for that period are missing. After January 1903, (and from 1820 to June 1897), the lists should include all classes of passengers. (See Marian Smith's discussion on this topic at the Avotaynu link in the sources section below.)

The Ellis Island fire in the early morning of June 15, 1897 also destroyed some Ellis Island administrative records and the New York immigration passenger lists. However, separate New York customs passenger lists were kept elsewhere, and they have survived. So ship passenger lists for the early Ellis Island period (1892-June 1897) are available for research along with the rest of the New York passenger lists, beginning with 1820. These passenger records were later microfilmed by the National Archives (customs lists 1820-mid June, 1897), and the INS (immigration lists mid June, 1897-July 3, 1957), who gave the master copies to the National Archives. Over time many indexes and finding aids have been created to help locate individual immigrants on these lists. For information on finding New York passenger lists see...

Finding New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957

For help with other ports...

• Ship Passenger Lists Guide, 1820-1960s: For Ships Arriving at U.S. Ports from Europe and Other Places
  
• Online Ship Passenger Lists

Thanks to INS/USCIS historian, Marian Smith, for her help with this article.

Sources:

• Castle Garden/Castle Clinton National Monument History from the National Park Service (https://www.nps.gov/cacl/learn/historyculture/)
• Ellis Island Immigration from the National Park Service (https://www.nps.gov/elis/learn/historyculture/places_immigration.htm)
• "Fire on Ellis Island," New York Times, June 15, 1897, page 1.
• "Caring for Immigrants (New Arrangements in Consequence of Yesterday Morning's Fire at Ellis Island, Inspections on the Piers)," New York Times, June 16, 1897, page 1.
• "The Immigration Service," The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 20 Jun 1897, page 7.
• "Last Day of Castle Garden (Fun Begins at the Barge Office about Future Immigrants)," New York Evening World News, April 18, 1890, page 1.
• Immigration Act of 1924: An Act to limit the immigration of aliens into the United States, and for other purposes, Library of Congress (https://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/68th-congress/session-1/c68s1ch190.pdf)
• They Came in Ships by John P. Colletta, Ph.D., revised 3rd edition. Orem, Utah: Ancestry, 2002.
• "Just How Were Passenger Manifests Created?" by Sallyann Sack-Pikus. April 1, 2009: Avotaynu.
• 125th Anniversary of Annie Moore and Ellis Island by Megan Smolenyak (https://www.megansmolenyak.com/125th-anniversary-of-annie-moore-and-ellis-island/)

Photographs:

• Above from Library of Congress - Selected Images of Ellis Island and Immigration, ca. 1880-1920.
• Below: Immigrant Station, Ellis Island, with Ferry Docked at Adjacent Pier, c.1902-1913. Courtesy of the New York Public Library.